An Analysis Of Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird From The Perspective Of The Receptive Aesthetics

To Kill a Mockingbird constitutes one of the only two novels written by Harper Lee(1926-2016),a famous American writer.Since its release,it has been very popular with readers.It represents such a story about race,civilization,growth,love and education and so on,which was set during the Great Depression and narrated by a young girl Scout,the protagonist.This novel has such an enchanting plot,humorous language and profound implications.This thesis is aimed to show the great aesthetic values of To Kill a Mockingbird from the angle of the relationship of readers and works,and discloses the reasons for such popularity.The Aesthetics of Reception is an essential critical approach to literature for those who intend to study the works from the perspective of readers.Thus this theory will be used to illustrate this thesis.However,due to the extensiveness of the theory and the fictional features of To Kill a Mockingbird,this thesis mainly conducts its analysis on the basis of Zhu Liyuan's related achievements in the Aesthetics of Reception.The analysis uncovers the reasons for popularity of this novel from the aspects of its form and its substance.In addition,it enriches the practice of the Aesthetics of Reception in China and compensates for the critical insights of To Kill a Mockingbird in this theory.This thesis,specifically speaking,illustrates the novel from the following three aspects.The first is to analyze its "Response-Inviting Features" of To Kill a Mockingbird according to Zhu Liyuan's related thoughts,reflecting the points that appeal to readers;the second is to explore the readers' psychological responses to To Kill a Mockingbird's reading on the ground of Zhu Liyuan's "Horizons of Expectations",which actually reflects its aesthetic features in view of readers,and the last is to examine the similarities and distinctions between the receptive effects at home and abroad,which can not only explain its popularity but also deepen our knowledge about the differences of Chinese and foreign traditions and cultures and perfect ourselves by taking the essence and discarding the dregs.